ABSTRACT

This volume presents a case for how and why people in archaic and classical Greece worshipped Underworld gods.

These gods are often portrayed as malevolent and transgressive, giving an impression that ancient worshippers derived little or no benefit from developing ongoing relationships with them. In this book, the first book-length study that focuses on Underworld gods as an integral part of the religious landscape of the period, Mackin Roberts challenges this view and shows that Underworld gods are, in many cases, approached and ‘befriended’ in the same way as any other kind of god.

Underworld Gods in Ancient Greek Religion provides a fascinating insight into the worship of these deities, and will be of interest to anyone working on ancient Greek religion and cult.

chapter 2|19 pages

Landscapes of the Underworld

chapter 3|13 pages

Hades as god and place

chapter 4|17 pages

Death and plenty

Agriculture and the underworld in mythology

chapter 5|25 pages

Rites-of-passage and metaphorical death

chapter 6|15 pages

Personal interactions with Underworld gods

chapter 7|16 pages

The dead – belief and reality

chapter |16 pages

Afterword: Hekate, the missing figure